Never Ever After
by thatgirlxash
Summary: Rhett Brooks never believed in love or happy endings until the day she met John Cena and things started changing.
1. Chapter 1

*_I haven't written Cena in ages but this idea has been festering for a long, long time. But I have to write it. This is going way back to when I use to write WWE stories full time and Rhett was one of the girls I used the most.**_

Summary: When The WWE rolls into the Windy City for Payback 2014, John Cena goes against his better judgement and goes sees Rhett Brooks, the one woman that he couldn't get off of his mind.

Word count 1118

Rhett Brooks sighed pushing her long bangs behind her ears, today was never ending day of crap and it had gotten worse when she found that the WWE was in town, a company that she had a love hate relationship with. And that was mostly due to the way they had treated her and her brother during her short tenure there, the emotions grew deeper when she ended her rocky relationship with now 15 time World Champion John Cena. A relationship she swore she would never get into, she had refused to date wrestlers from the get go and yet she found herself drawn into him like a moth to a flame.

A dangerous flame that she ended up getting burned by.

The flame that her brother and Colt had warned her about and warned her about time after time. But she didn't listen, she never did. She liked doing things on her own and a majority of the time she got burned but it was the best way she learned. "You know if you want something to do. You can always wipe down tables." Rhett's long time friend Natalie said looking at her. Rhett turned her attention to her and gave her tense smile, "If I have too." Natalie held out a towel for her, "Get to working.' "Yeah, yeah." She muttered putting the damp towel on the sticky table and started wiping the table down.

The little bell tolling over the door minutes later caused Rhett to pause and look up from what she was doing. "_John." _She breathed. "Hey Rhett, got a minute?" Terror filled green eyes went from her former flame to Natalie who nodded her head, she was one of the few people that supported Rhett being with John and trying to follow in her famous big brother's footsteps.

Rhett nodded her head and shakily sat down on the padded chair. "You look good." John complimented letting his blue eyes trail over her form before sinking down across from her. "So do you. Skank looks good on you." "Hey." John said, his demeanor changing quickly.

"Truth hurts doesn't it?" She asked folding her arms under her chest, "You were all serious with me then you cheated on me with Nikki Bella and your high school sweetheart. "

"I am sorry." He started. "Oh you are sorry that's really rich John! What's next you are going to tell me you are sorry that you missed our child's birth because you too busy getting her a boob job.' Rhett said, her green eyes flashing.

John's frown deepened, this is not how he wanted this visit to go he wanted to see her and get her out of his head and then go back to his relationship with Nikki. But now that he saw her he wanted to stay with her and find out about his child and know what she was up too. "How is our child?" "Our son JP, is fine, he is with his uncle Punk and Aunt April they are taking him to the hockey game tonight."

"JP?" "Jonathan Philip. He loves his Uncle Punk." She pulled out her phone and pressed the button showing him the small boy with her piercing green eyes and his dimples and dark blonde hair sitting on his uncle's lap watching a movie.

"He is.'

"He is you." Rhett said, "With parts of his uncles sprinkled in. He is my whole world." "Does he know about me?" He asked. Rhett licked her lips and stole a glance at Natalie who nodded her head, "He does know who you are. But he doesn't know you are daddy. You made it clear that you didn't want to be a father and I am not going to force it on you. In fact you say it all the time on Total Divas with Nikki. Tell me John why is that you don't want those things with her and you were willing to do it all with me?' She asked folding her arms under her chest.

John lowered his eyes down to the table, he never really had the answer for it. He never did. Nikki asked him all the time about it. "Does she even know that we have a kid?" "No." He stared. "Really rich John. You want to sit there and like you are good guy but you aren't." "Because Rhett at the time I could see myself settling down and having a family with you." Rhett laughed and shook her head.

"I could. Liz was a mistake, she talked me into marrying her, she found the ring I bought for you and thought it was for her." Rhett lowered her eyes and looked at him. "What?' "Yeah, I was ready to have you move in with me and marry you. I even went as far as to ask your brother for permission.' A small laugh escaped Rhett's lips, "Oh Punk must have gotten a kick out of that." "He did, he was protective of his little sister."

"He still is. He was with me when JP was born, he and Colt traded off going with me to doctor's appointments and parenting classes." "She use to joke that it was their baby and not hers because they were so involved in it." Natalie piped up from behind the counter. John nodded his head with a slight laugh, "I want to meet him."

"I don't know John, I don't want to get his hopes up, you have Nikki in your life and you are gone 300 plus days a year.' "Please." He begged, he tried not to beg often but he knew he had too, he _needed _to meet his son once and see what he was like. Rhett shook her head and looked at Natalie who shrugged her shoulders. "_Please." _ He repeated looking at her. She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and nodded her head, "Come by before you leave tomorrow, Punk is bringing him over after the hockey game." "Thank you Rhett." he said covering her hand with his ignoring the familiar flip of his heart in his chest. She nodded her head again before pushing herself away from the table.


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

Alicia Fox tapped her finger impatiently on the back of her phone, Rhett's phone number was lit up on the screen along with a smiling picture of the two of them 2 years prior. Ever since she landed in Chicago she wanted to reach out to her and find out how she was doing. She felt like an awful friend for not staying in contact but things changed. Rhett had changed, she had went from this open, happy loving girl to this guarded, sad person. Someone who almost reminded those closest to her of her older brother Punk. It was disheartening to see how quickly she changed. And then one day she was just gone. The apartment that she lived in Tampa was emptied and cleaned out and her phone number was changed and the only reason why she got the new one was because AJ Lee her sister in law had given it to her.

Saying that she needed a friend especially after they found out she was pregnant and going through everything alone. And she did reach out and try to be there for Rhett and for the baby, but she was jealous because she wanted a baby and wanted to do what Rhett was doing.

The vibrating of her phone shook her out of her thoughts, 'I was just going to call you." she said in a way of greeting her friend. "_I must have read your mind then. I heard you have a title match tonight." "_I do. Anyway I can talk you into coming down and watching it backstage?" She wasn't too hopeful, it was always an automatic rejection. "_Sure, PJ is with April and Punk for the night anyways, it will do me good to get out of the house." _"Wait! Really?" "_Yeah, why not?" _

Alicia was surprised, this was the last thing she ever thought Rhett would agree to it especially after how things ended with the WWE and her older brother. "_You know Punk doesn't control what I do. I left on my own accord and I can come back on my own accord. Besides I miss my friends." _"And John?" Rhett was silent. She didn't want to admit out loud that she missed John, and that the feeling had gotten worse after she had seen him at Nat's place. She couldn't do it. "Nikki is going to be here though." "_I don't care Foxy, I really don't. Me wanting to be there has nothing to do with John or Nikki. He made his choice and I made mine."_

"And being a single mom was it?" "_In this case, yes, there is nothing I wouldn't do for that little boy." _ Alicia laughed softly, "I get it. I just can't believe you are a mom." "_I couldn't believe it either. Not until he was one."_

"Who are you talking to Fox?" Nikki Bella asked coming into the women's locker room, her twin sister Brie following behind her. "Rhett." Nikki pulled a face, that was the last person she would have expected the former champion to be talking too. "_I will be there about a half an hour." _"Okay, call me when you get here and I will come meet you." Alicia said before hanging up her phone. "I can't believe you are still talking to her." "She is my friend. And she had no one after she left." "Well, she deserves it." "Deserves it? She deserved to get her heartbroken?" Natalya asked from where she was sitting, she had heard most of the conversation and couldn't help but add her two cents into it, "You only saw what you wanted to see with it Nik, Rhett, she really and truly loved John. And no offense but you kind of ruined it for her."

Nikki rolled her eyes, she didn't think that Rhett and John were that serious when they first met, given that he ended up marrying another woman and then cheating on her with her. She didn't regret what happened. Not in the slightest. She got what she wanted and she was happy about that.

John came out of his private locker room to do an interview with Renee Young and froze seeing Rhett standing between Alicia Fox and Nattie smiling. A sight he hadn't seen in a long time and it actually warmed his heart seeing it. He didn't realize how much he missed her until he saw her earlier. His feet started leading them to the trio against his will, "Rhett." "John." She returned a smile playing on her lips, "I brought some pictures of JP for you."

"Girl, what are you doing?" Alicia asked lowly in her ear. She lifted one shoulder up and dropped it quickly, she honestly didn't know what she was doing or what she was thinking grabbing those pictures. Deep down she knew it was the right thing to do. He deserved to see his son and possibly have a relationship with him. She wasn't going to let her feeling stand in the way of them having a relationship. "Go to my locker room, I have to do an interview real quick and we can talk about our son afterwards." The former Diva nodded her head the smile that had been playing on her lips broke out fully.

"Rhett, be careful." Nattie hissed, she knew it was going to be ugly if Nikki found out one about Rhett being in John's locker room alone with him and two that they had a son. Something that he had refused to even talk about with her.

"Always am."


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3: Is He?

"He has my smile." John said a few minutes later sitting next to Rhett on the loveseat that was in his locker-room. A thick stack of pictures in his hand. "He does and your sense of humor. He makes me laugh so much." Rhett returned tucking her leg under her, "Even when I do feel like laughing he has me laughing. He even makes Punk laugh and you know my brother, he _never _laughs. Ever."

The former champion nodded his head before offering her a dimpled smile before looking back at the pictures.

"He asks me all the time about you.' She said softly twisting the bracelet around her wrist several times.

"He wants to know why you aren't around."

"What do you tell him?"

"That you are busy. And that you will meet him one day." "Does he know that we are here?" Rhett shook her head, "No, we don't talk a lot about wrestling. He knows that how Punk meet April and that's how I met you but that's it. He doesn't watch matches or anything like that." "Do you not want him to be involved with wrestling?" "It's not that John, I want him to do what he loves but I don't want him to follow a stupid dream into a company that doesn't treat its people well." She returned pulling her knees to her chest.

"You listened too much to Punk." John muttered looking at her. "Do you blame me?" She returned defensively, "he was so sick. And I really don't blame him for walking when they let Batista win the rumble."

The former champion swallowed back his laughter, he almost forgot how firey she could be when it came to her brother and what lengths she would go to stand up for him. If they weren't fighting about Nikki then they were fighting about Punk and how much influence he had on her.

"Yes, I am still _very _loyal to my big brother." Rhett grinned, "Him and April." "Aren't they getting married soon?" "Two weeks. It's a big deal." She looked thoughtful for a second before licking her lips, "Do you want to come with me and JP?" It was John's turn to look thoughtful. "Yeah I do want to come with you. I want to know my son." He said after several long minutes, "And I missed you Rhett." "You missed me?" She asked raising her eyebrow as she turned to look fully at him. John nodded his head as the door swung open and Nikki stepped into the room a pout playing on her lips she froze seeing Rhett and John sitting together and her boyfriend holding a stack of pictures in his hands. "What's going on?" She asked.

"Nothing." John answered moving to put the pictures down on the table, the last thing he wanted to do was trying to explain to his girlfriend why Rhett was with him.

"Just two friends catching up is all." Rhett added as she went to stand up. "Yeah sure, like I believe that." The Fearless Bella started.

"Believe what you want Nicole, but it's true, he and I were friends before we dated and we will be friends again. I am sorry that you are insecure and you have to take your fear of him cheating on you like he did on me out on me but there is nothing going on here. I am too damn old and too out of business to try and deal with you and your bullshit." She gathered the pictures up and to put them back in her purse. But she had moved to slow, the former Diva's champion had crossed the room and grabbed the pictures from her.

"Nicole, give them back to her." John ordered as he stood up too, fear was gripping his heart, he knew that this was going to turn out ugly, Rhett had one of the two things that Nikki wanted. She had his child and she almost had the other as well. "Who is this?" She asked looking at the pictures. "That's my son JP." Rhett answered folding her arms.

Nikki fought back a bitter laugh before looking at the top picture which was of Rhett, AJ Lee and her son. A son that looked eerily that looked like her boyfriend. "Is, is he John's?"

"Yes." John answered before Rhett could, "Give us a minute Rhett, I will come find you later."

Rhett nodded her head and shouldered her bag and stepped out of the locker room. She didn't want to Nikki to know about JP but there was no way she could control it. Nikki one way or another was going to be involved in his life.


End file.
